Constipation and Bowel Movement inBabies
As most of us know, constipation is a term used for a phenomenon manifesting through rare or much less frequent bowel movement. Also, it may be manifested through harder and unpleasant process of the passing stool, which takes place after a longer period of time than the one we are used to. As for babies, they too can, and usually do, suffer from constipation as well. However, every baby has a different bowel movement frequency and characteristics. Therefore, you need to take care of your baby's pattern of passing stool in order to notice any abnormalities or excessive latency regarding this phenomenon. You can notice constipation in your baby if it has troubles during bowel movement, causing it to feel nervous and get red in the face. Also, lack of regular bowel movement may cause babies to be irritable, so you might combine these clues. Finally, any dryness or hardness of the stool may serve as symptoms of constipation. Even though general nutrition, physical activity, as well as, certain heath conditions all may be behind this phenomenon there is one more cause which can surprise you. Namely, formula milk is one of the known causes of constipation in babies too.
Reasons behind Formula Milk-inducedConstipation
Breast milk has many benefits for your baby. Apart from being the source of all the important nutrients your baby might need, it also stimulates healthy bacteria in the baby's stomach. These microorganisms help the digestion process and, therefore soften the stool. Also, breast milk has a perfect balance of nutrients, and these, once digested result in a soft stool, incapable of causing constipation or similar problems of that type.
On the other hand, formula milk, even though being equally rich in nutrients, may easily cause constipation due to some of its traits. Namely, these formulas may have some missing or additional ingredients, making it hard for the baby to digest them, resulting in this unpleasant phenomenon. Moreover, the formula may not be prepared right, regarding the dosage or the quantity of water used for mixing, having the same results.
What Can Be Done To Prevent This?
Firstly, if the formula is not suitable for your baby, you should change the brand you are using. Secondly, be careful and follow the preparation instructions religiously. Additionally, in order to better your baby's digestive processes, give it a bottle of cool, previously boiled water to drink daily. Also, you might enrich the baby's formula with karo corn syrup, adding two teaspoons to it. Alternatively, you might mix the previously mentioned water with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Applying one of these two methods will result in softening the baby's stool and, once the constipation is gone, you can stop adding them. If all else fails, and the constipation remains persistent, seek medical assistance.
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